A Gwangju court on Thursday upheld an earlier ruling that sentenced a prison term for a middle school student who is accused of murdering his adoptive mother last year.
The 15-year-old was found guilty of murder in the appellate trial at the Gwangju High Court for the murder of the 64-year-old victim at their home at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 29, 2025.
The victim found the boy as a baby near her home 15 years ago and raised him as her child without formally adopting him.
It was found that the victim and the defendant frequently quarreled. One such incident occurred on the day of the crime, with the victim allegedly hitting the boy and telling him, "Your brothers aren't so lazy, what's wrong with you. Go to your birth mother if you're going to be like this."
The prosecution requested that the court sentence the defendant to 20 years in prison, the severest punishment possible for a minor. The court sentenced him to a prison term of a minimum of seven years, a maximum of 12 years. Juvenile offenders are sentenced to non-fixed terms, with early release possible if the convict shows good behavior during their sentence.
The court decried the defendant for murdering his guardian, who raised him as her own, but said it considered the fact that he is a minor and has no previous criminal record.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
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